Patent GB-451039-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of stems for electric incandescent lamps
IPC: H01J9/46
Filed: 1935-02-04
Abstract: 451,039. Making electric incandescent lamps. HOFMANN & CO., A., 635, 15th Street, West New York, New Jersey, U.S.A.-(Assignees of Hofmann, A.; Palisade, and Trutner, D. G. ; North Arlington, both in New Jersey, U.S.A.) Feb. 4, 1935, No. 3591. Convention date, Nov. 24, 1934. [Class 39 (ii)] In a lamp-stem-making machine of the typeprovided with a series of travelling heads each provided with holders or chucks for the components which make up the lamp stem, including leading-in wires, means to infeed one or more hooked leading-in wires to each travelling head comprise one or more supports or tracks adapted to support 'leading-in wires which hang thereon by their hooks and are advanced in procession, means being provided for transferring successive wires therefrom to their position in the travelling head in order to be received and held by the holders for leading-in wires. As shown, the leading-in wires C, Fig. 11, are held loosely with their hooked ends C<1> uppermost within a pair of spaced cups 720, Fig. 1, adjacent to tracks 700 which converge towards a transfer point 850 and are inclined downwardly over part of their length so that wires slide down under gravity. Each cup is adjustably mounted in a yoke 724, and is arranged to be rocked into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11, so that the hooked ends of the wires C overhang the edge of the track plate 700, whereupon the cup is lowered and leaves a number of wires hanging upon the edge of the plate and free to slide downwardly thereon. The cup is then swung back and lifted to its former position, the timing being such that there is one brushing motion of the wires over the edge of the plate 700 for every three advances of the machine turret. The inclined track 700 may be continued to the leading-in wire delivery point or, as shown, a horizontal portion 700 may be interposed, along which the wires are advanced by a step-feeding device 808, Figs. 1 and 9, consisting of a plate with comb-like teeth, which has an advancing motion along the track, and retraction laterally from the track, followed by a return motion parallel to the track and a fourth motion back to the track. An escapement device comprising co-operating fingers 760, 761, Figs. 2 and 9, is provided near the lower end of the track 700 to release one leading-in wire at a time, and below the escapement the track has a stop or notch from which the successive wires may be advanced further by a delivery device 819, Fig. 9, near the end of the horizontal portion -of the track. The wires are advanced around the curve 700<c>, Fig. 1, at the end of the track, and taken by a transfer gripper 850, Fig. 9, at the upper end of a sleeve 855, where they are held while a shiftable transfer carrier or lever 861 supporting the sleeve 855 is swung through 180‹, so that the leading-in wires are inverted relatively to their former position. This swinging movement is followed by a vertical lowering to position the leading-in wires C within a glass flare A, Fig. 8, these movements being produced by mounting the carrier lever 861, on a hub 865, Fig. 1, which is carried by a stud 866 on a vertically movable carriage 867 sliding within a guide 716. The hub 865 carries a gear wheel 875 engaging a toothed segment 876 mounted on a pivot 877, this segment also carrying a stud 878 adapted to ride out of a pocket 716<c> during the travel. The members are actuated by a cam controlled link 881 which is pivoted at 879 to the segment, so that downward movement of the link produces the swinging and lowering movements of the leading-in wires in the gripper 850. Near the end of the movement a foot 862, Figs. 8 and 9, on the carrier lever 861 bears upon the flare A and readjusts it downwardly to surround partially the cane or arbor B. The leading-in wires are disposed one on each side of the cane B by means of a laterally sliding guide or spreader 919 which moves forward as the gripper lowers the wires and is retracted automatically to permit further travel of the head carrying the assembled members. Means are provided to stop the supply of leading-in wires when each track 700 is sufficiently filled. This comprises a guard 935, Fig. 11, which is controlled by a feeler 945 on a contact spring 947 adjacent to a co-operating spring 948, these members being mounted on a rocking arm 950 which is rocked towards the track 700. If leading-in wires are hooked on the track at this inspection point they contact with the feeler 945, and the contact points 946 are closed, otherwise the feeler overrides the track and the contacts remain open. The closing of the contacts energizes a solenoid 942 the core 943 of which is mounted on a pivoted block 938 carrying a shank 936 on which the guard 935 is mounted, so that the lifting of the core 943 causes the guard 935 to swing forward and hold the hooked ends of the wires from the edge of the track 700. Specification 433,501 is referred to.